Cluster Analysis Procedure Research Articles

Patterns of Sexuality, Adjustment to Aging and Satisfaction with Life: A Cluster Analysis of Adults Across the Lifespan

AbstractSexual satisfaction, adjustment to aging, and satisfaction with life are relevant dimensions of overall well-being across the life cycle. Through cluster analysis procedures, this study aims to describe the specific profile of adjustment to aging, sexual satisfaction and satisfaction with life of adults across the life span. This cross-sectional study involved a community-based sample of 619 Portuguese individuals, aged between 18 and 92 years old (M = 47.53 SD = 18.34) evaluated using a two-step cluster analysis. Fours clusters emerged. The most adjusted participants were mostly of a younger age, women and had a high education. The least adjusted participants globally presented low education, poor perceived health, and poor engagement in leisure activities. Well-being focused participants were mostly women of older age, with high education and spirituality. Finally, moderately satisfied participants were mostly men of older age, had a lower education, and presented poor reported health. Complementary comparative analysis among the identified subgroups was performed. The most adjusted participants had the highest perceived overall sexual well-being, sexual attractiveness, sexual openness and communication, and sexual satisfaction. These data characterize the profile of this population and can be used as the basis for developing efficient strategies aimed a combining adjustment to aging, satisfaction with life and sexual satisfaction for tailored interventions to the specific needs of populations across the lifespan.

Virtual reconstruction and geometric morphometric analysis of the Kocabaş hominin fossil from Turkey: Implications for taxonomy and evolutionary significance

The Kocabaş specimen comes from a travertine quarry near the homonymous village in the Denizli basin (Turkey). The specimen comprises three main fragments: portions of the right and left parietal and left and right parts of the frontal bone. The fossil was assumed to belong to the Homo erectus s.l. hypodigm by some authors, whereas others see similarities with Middle Pleistocene fossils (Broken Hill 1/Kabwe, Bodo, or Ceprano). Here, we present the first attempt to make a complete reconstruction of the missing medial portion of the frontal bone and a comprehensive geometric morphometric analysis of this bone. We restored the calotte by aligning and mirroring the three preserved fragments. Afterward, we restored the missing portion by applying the thin-plate spline interpolation algorithm of target fossils onto the reconstructed Kocabaş specimen. For the geometric morphometric analyses, we collected 80 landmarks on the frontal bone (11 osteometric points, 14 bilateral curve semilandmarks, and 41 surface semilandmarks). The comparative sample includes 21 fossils from different chronological periods and geographical areas and 30 adult modern humans from different populations. Shape analyses highlighted the presence in Kocabaş of features usually related to Middle Pleistocene Homo, such as a developed supraorbital torus associated with a relatively short frontal squama and reduced post-toral sulcus. Cluster analysis and linear discriminant analysis classification procedure suggest Kocabaş being part of the same taxonomic unit of Eurasian and African Middle Pleistocene Homo. In light of our results, we consider that attributing the Kocabaş hominin to H. erectus s.l. may be unwarranted. Results of our analyses are compatible with different evolutionary scenarios, but a more precise chronological framework is needed for a thorough discussion of the evolutionary significance of this specimen. Future work should clarify its geological age, given uncertainties regarding its stratigraphic provenance.

Sensemaking Process of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Identification of Specific Clusters of “Sense of Grip”

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent atypicalities in social communication and social interactions across different domains of life, often with restricted, repetitive, stereotyped patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. A large corpus of previous research shows that parental involvement in caregiving is perceived as stressful and challenging, in many cases resulting in poorer parental quality of life. The authors present a quali-quantitative mixed method research on sensemaking process of 34 parents (16 mothers and 18 fathers) of children with ASD. The interviews were collected and analyzed according to the “Sense of Grip” (SoG) methodology. SoG indeed refers to the sensemaking processes that a person realizes to manage the relationship with diseases or disorders by organizing several degrees of flexibility, differentiation, and adaptation to the variability of experiences and contexts of life. This construct of health psychology—semiotically and clinically oriented—is based on specific narrative functions (i.e., temporal, integrative, emotional, sharing, and agentive functions). The cluster analysis procedure allowed to identify three different SoG profiles: (a) enterprising (parents who are able to construct flexible and dynamic familiar routines), (b) opposing (parents who experience the ASD disorder as a deep unacceptable crisis, hindering the rest of familiar and professional activities), and (c) condescending (parents who organize family life completely on adherence to medical prescriptions and care protocols). These profiles show interesting implications for clinical practice and support as showing specific aspects of treating, managing, and sharing children conditions within family and relational contexts of life.

Gig worker typology and research agenda: advancing research for frontline service providers

PurposeThe unique employment status of gig workers as independent contractors and their impact on consumers provide an important opportunity for the current research to understand gig workers' perceptions of their employment and how that affects job performance outcomes. These gig workers serve as the frontline service providers for platforms like Airbnb hosts, Lyft drivers and Wag walkers performing customer-facing services. However, their status as gig workers, not traditional employees, presents challenges to platforms. The purpose of this research is to gain insights into the profiles of gig workers, examine the challenges platforms have in retaining high-performing workers and provide a research agenda on this important group of frontline service providers.Design/methodology/approachIncorporating variables deemed important in examining self-determination theory, a large-scale data collection via an online survey was administered, yielding 447 completed surveys. A two-step cluster analysis procedure was conducted to categorize sample respondents into four distinct groups.FindingsFour groups emerged from the cluster analysis, labeled “Ambivalent Outsider,” “Competent Cog,” “Independent Insider” and “Committed Comrade.” The results suggest that there are significant differences across all variables and groups based on gig worker responses and self-reported customer satisfaction scores. The gig worker profiles developed are then utilized to formulate research propositions that are the basis for the research agenda presented.Practical implicationsThe goal of many collaborative consumption platforms may be to hire Independent Insiders or Committed Comrades; however, that is difficult to attain with every hire. Thus, the segmentation results provide insights for companies seeking to hire, retain, and successfully motivate their workforce.Originality/valueGiven the freedom and flexibility afforded to gig workers, and the importance they have on the service experience for customers, understanding their own perceptions of employment and performance is critical to ensuring a positive experience for all parties. Research on collaborative consumption has largely focused on consumers or the management of freelance workers with only tangential applicability to gig work. This paper offers a comprehensive research agenda for gig worker management based on the typology of gig workers created.

Peculiarities of relationships between the characteristics of psychophysiological adaptation of organism and criterion indicators of motor activity of modern students


 
 
 one of the priority components of the implementation of modern physiological and hygienic research is a prognostic assessment of the features of the leading characteristics formation of the adaptive resources state of the student’ organism based on the use of modern methods of statistical analysis in accordance with the conditions of stay, which differ in the features of the influence of health- creating factors, among which it is necessary to include level of motor activity. The purpose of the study was to determine the peculiarities of the relationships between the characteristics of psychophysiologi- cal adaptation and criterion indicators of motor activity of modern students based on the application ofcluster and factor analysis procedures. In the course of the scientific work 285 students (150 young wom- en and 135 young men) were supervised, who were divided into 3 comparison groups according to the level of motor activity. Individuals with high motor activity (group 1 of motor activity: 50 young women and 45 young men), medium motor activity (group 2 of motor activity: 50 young women and 45 young men) and low motor activity (group 3 of motor activity: 50 young women and 45 young men) levels were involved in their composition. As criterion indicators of motor activity, it was necessary to note the indicators of daily energy expenditure, which were estimated according to the timing-table method - up to 9000 kJ (low level of motor activity), 9000-11000 kJ (medium level of motor activity), more than 11000 kJ (high level of motor activity) among girls , and indicators of motor activity – up to 11,000 kJ (low motor activity level), 11,000-13,500 kJ (medium motor activity level), over 13,500 kJ (high motor activity level) among young men. Medical-sociological, epidemiological, psychophysiological, psycho- logical-pedagogical and statistical methods were used in the scientific work. In the course of the con- ducted research, based on the application of cluster and factor analysis procedures, the features of the relationships between the characteristics of the functional state and the level of development of psycho- physiological functions and, therefore, the leading characteristics of psychophysiological adaptation and criterion indicators of motor activity of modern students were determined. Data of cluster analysis procedures usage determined that the leading characteristics of the state of health and academic success were most significantly influenced by 3 leading clusters of characteristics of the psychophysiological adaptation of the students’ organism, namely: visual-motor speed, visual-sensory and integrative-coor- dination clusters. At the same time, based on the results of the application of factor analysis procedures, it was established that the most positive effect on the functional state of the organism of young women and young men was exerted by the movement regime characteristic of students, the values of daily energy expenditure of which vary between 9000-11000 kJ and between 11000-13500 kJ.
 
 

Genetic Diversity in Some Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Accessions Detected by Agro-morphological Characters and RAPD Markers*

Agro-morphological and Randomly Amplified PolymorphicDNA (RAPD) markers were used to determine the diversity andrelationships among 25 accessions of sesame from Sudan. Data on 16agro-morphological characters were collected from a field experiment,carried out at Shambat for three consecutive seasons (2006-2008) andsubjected to the procedure of cluster analysis. The results showed thatcluster analysis, based on Euclidean distance, of the agro-morphologicalcharacters grouped the 25 sesame accessions into seven clusters.Application of RAPD markers generated 48 bands with a 97.9%polymorphism. A dendrogram constructed from the RAPD data classifiedthe 25 sesame accessions into eight major clusters. It was concluded thatfor efficient estimation of genetic diversity and interrelationships amongsesame accessions, information obtained from both agro-morphologicalcharacters and RAPD should be combined.

Variability of the Linguistic Consciousness development of an Individual in the Artificial Bilingualism Conditions

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to outline the variable markers of the individual linguistic awareness/consciousness development in the conditions of artificial bilingualism.
 Methods. The main method of the study was the method of selective observation with the fixation of markers of the linguistic awareness development and qualitative indicators of respondents' mastery of English as a foreign language in the artificial bilingualism conditions. Potential standards of passive-mechanical (imitation) and active (cognitive-communicative) models of artificial bilingualism were used for comparison. Markers of the respondents’ linguistic awareness were subject to monitoring: language knowledge, culture and speaking skills (at a level sufficient for formulating and expressing thoughts in the process of interpersonal communication in a foreign language), manifestations of language socialization (mastering the norms of listening, perceiving and speaking in a foreign language at a level sufficient for communication and coordination of semantic codes of communication subjects).The obtained data were subjected to content analysis, which made it possible to evaluate the markers of the development of the respondents’ linguistic awareness in the artificial bilingualism conditions and to reveal the level of using a foreign language in communication. In order to statistically confirm the significance of the obtained data, the method of one-factor variance analysis (Fisher’s φ-criterion) was used. A multidimensional procedure of cluster analysis (K-means clustering) was also used, which made it possible to distinguish subsets of the levels of the linguistic awareness development among the respondents of the research project.
 Results. The results of the data analysis of the research project proved that the differences between the experimental and control groups of junior high school students in identifying markers of linguistic awareness are reliably significant relative to individual predictors of the logical ordering of speech-thinking dimensions of language awareness (at p ≤ 0.05).Respondents of the experimental group demonstrate better results in listening, understanding the content of oral expression in a familiar everyday context and in communicative competences. The dominance of markers of an average level of linguistic awareness development among younger schoolchildren was also recorded.
 Conclusions. In the realities of permanent transformations of the modern information society, bilingualism appears as a predictor of foreign language mastery at a level sufficient for communication and exchange of ideas with other subjects of linguistic activity. Language (and foreign language in particular) is not only a communication tool, but also a way of perceiving, organizing and encoding (or decoding) the surrounding reality. In this context, linguistic awareness is interpreted as an invariant of possible schemes of mastering reality, which is most suitable for the purposes of communication between people. The analysis of markers of the junior high school students’ linguistic awareness development proved that when an active (cognitive-communicative) model of artificial bilingualism is implemented, the respondents demonstrate statistically better results in listening, understanding the content of oral expression in a familiar everyday context and in identifying communicative competences.

Understanding the spatio-temporal behavior of crop yield, yield components and weed pressure using time series Sentinel-2-data in an organic farming system

ContextOrganic farming has begun to represent a practical alternative for reducing the environmental impact of crop production and increasing biodiversity. In agricultural systems, the growing demand for stable crop production requires the adoption of useful tools for the sustainable intensification of agriculture. While organic farming systems face various drawbacks, which affect crop yield. Among the limiting factors, weed management is one of the most difficult aspects of organic farming. ObjectiveThe aim of the study was (i) to evaluate the effect of weed pressure on yield spatial variability (ii) to analyze the spatial variability of yield and yield components based on hand-sampled yield data (iii) to evaluate the ability of the most commonly used vegetation index (NDVI) derived from Sentinel-2 satellite platforms to understand within-field spatial and temporal variability during the crop cycle (iv) to evaluate the ability of the cluster analysis procedures on NDVI satellite data to identify, discriminate and map sub-areas with different yield, yield components, and weed pressure at the farm level in an organic farming system. MethodsRemote sensing techniques (Sentinel-2 images), vegetation index (NDVI), cluster analysis (Hierarchical clustering Ward’s minimum variance approach) and hand-sampled data (georeferenced yield and yield components field data) were used for understanding the spatio-temporal behavior of crops. Results and conclusionsThe cluster analysis of NDVI data from Sentinel-2 collected at eight different stages detected the crop spatial and temporal variability at an early stage. In an open field of 24 ha, an area of about 9 ha, showed a high weed level with a yield average value 78 % lower than the most productive cluster area. The yield components, especially the spike number per square meter, also recorded very low values, mainly due to the negative effect of the high presence of weeds (in particular oats), which reached average values of 250 g m-2. An area of 7.3 ha showed the highest yield at harvest with a yield value 45 % higher than the mean harvest data. The study highlights that from the early tillering stage to the booting stage the NDVI maps derived from the Satellite Sentinel-2 and clustered by Ward’s method represent the weeds distribution impact on crop yield and yield components and an early warning for the assessment of one of the most important limiting factors in organic farming. SignificanceSentinel-2 data and cluster analysis can improve an efficient assessment and management strategies in an organic farming agricultural system. Furthermore, the use of precision agriculture tools in organic farming can lead to a site‐specific management at the farm level and therefore a sustainable intensification of agriculture systems.

Metabolic and physiological effects of water stress on Moshgak (Ducrosia anethifolia Boiss) populations using GC–MS and multivariate analyses

Ducrosia anethifolia Boiss is a medicinal and aromatic plant that is used as a food additive and drug in the areas of natural distribution. In this study, eight populations from different geographical regions of Iran were evaluated for their essential oil composition, total phenolics and flavonoids as well as for free radical scavenging activity during two consecutive years under water deficit. Analysis of variance was performed using a randomized block design at three levels of irrigation and 2 years, using the GLM procedure of SAS software and cluster analysis was used according to Ward's method using squared Euclidean dissimilarity. The highest essential oil and total phenolics/flavonoids content were obtained in the second year. GC–MS analysis was used to analyze the essential oil components. In normal conditions, cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (39.1–66.4%) and α-pinene (1.02–4.7%) were recognized as major compounds. The essential oil components were elevated under water stress. The highest increase in cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (21.32%) in response to water stress was observed in Abarkuh1. Elevation in total phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidant activity was also observed in plants subjected to water deficit. The highest content of phenolic acids was measured in Semirom (136.74 mg TAE/g DW), while the highest flavonoid content was in Kerman (6.05 mg QUE/g DW) in severe water stress condition. Finally, a high diversity in the studied populations can be used to select advantageous populations for other pharmaceutical and food purposes.

Environmental niches and seasonal succession of phytoplankton assemblages in a subarctic coastal bay: Applications to remote sensing estimates

The seasonal and spatial variability of surface phytoplankton assemblages and associated environmental niches regarding major nutrients, physical (temperature and salinity), and optical characteristics (inherent and apparent optical properties) were investigated in an anthropized subarctic coastal bay, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: the Bay of Sept-Îles (BSI), Québec, Canada. Seven major phytoplankton assemblages were identified by applying a combined Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis procedures, using pigment concentrations and <20 µm autotrophic cell abundances as inputs. The resulting phytoplankton groups from BSI (n = 7) were more diverse than at a station monitored in a central portion of the St. Lawrence Estuary (n = 2). The temporal distribution of the phytoplankton assemblages of BSI reflected the major seasonal (spring to fall) signal of a nearshore subarctic environment. Before the freshet, spring bloom was dominated by large (microphytoplankton) cells (diatoms), and the succession followed a shift towards nanophytoplankton and picophytoplankton cells throughout summer and fall. Most of the phytoplankton assemblages occupied significantly different environmental niches. Taking temperature and the bio‐optical properties (ultimately, the remote sensing reflectance) as inputs, a framework to classify five major groups of phytoplankton in the BSI area is validated. The demonstrated possibility to retrieve major phytoplankton assemblages has implications for applying remote sensing imagery to monitoring programs.

Peculiarities of the connection and interdependence of the characteristics of the level of development of the professionally significant psychophysiological functions of the students' body in the case of the use of distance and classroom forms of educatio

Annotation. Determining the peculiarities of the processes of psychophysiological adaptation of student youth is impossible without establishing the relationship and interdependence of the characteristics of the level of development of psychophysiological functions of young women and young men in the use of various (classroom and remote) forms of learning. The research included assessment of the level of development of professionally significant psychophysiological functions of students and further processing of the obtained data using procedures of correlation, factor and cluster analysis based on the use of statistical analysis software package Statistica 6.1”. The obtained data show that the most clearly defined correlation under the conditions of organization of educational activities in remote (on-line) format for young women and young men is determined during the analysis of indicators of speed of simple and differentiated visual-motor reaction, mobility of nervous processes and dynamic efficiency, that is, those characteristics of the adaptive capacity of the organism, which note the state of visual-motor coordination, the implementation of urgent reactions in response to changes in the stereotype of normal learning activities and resistance to the phenomena of monotony. However, the most clearly defined correlation in the organization of educational activities in the classroom (off-line) format for young women and young men is determined during the analysis of indicators of the speed of simple audio-motor response, balance of nervous processes and dynamic performance, ie those characteristics of adaptive capabilities of the body, which note the state of audio-motor coordination, the level of balance of major nervous processes and resistance to monotony. The results should be used in the future in the scientific substantiation of effective health technologies.

Profiling the most highly cited scholars from China: Who they are. To what extent they are interdisciplinary

Since the beginning of the 21st century, an increasing number of Chinese researchers have joined the ranks of the world’s top scientists. Some international organizations have observed this phenomenon and ranked the world’s top Chinese researchers. However, investigation of highly cited interdisciplinary research (IDR) scholars is insufficient, although IDR tends to have a greater social impact. Looking at the top 2% of the world’s Chinese scholars, this study analyzes the structural attributes of IDR by those top scholars in detail using network analysis, cluster analysis, block modeling, and quadratic assignment procedure analysis. The results show that the proportion of highly cited scholars in technical categories is higher than in social categories. The fields of artificial intelligence and image processing, oncology and carcinogenesis, plus neurology and neurosurgery serve as bridges across disciplines, with materials, energy, and artificial intelligence and image processing having higher eigenvector centrality. The field of social sciences has the widest range of IDR activities, but cooperation within this field is low. Forty-two of the world’s first-class universities are in China, and of the world’s top 2% scholars who come from China, 46.3% work for these institutions. The research themes of highly cited academics from World First-Class universities in China are most similar to the themes of scholars from universities in China with first-class academic disciplines. There are differences between non-university and university scholars in terms of research topics. It is suggested that the government can promote a triple-helix effect (public institute, industrial enterprise, and research school) so that organizations of different natures can produce synergistic effects.

Определение характеристик наиболее травмоопасных профессий работников промышленных энергетических объектов с точки зрения летального исхода

Electric power facilities traditionally demonstrate high rates of the fatal injuries. At the same time, the share of technical causes of injuries decreases annually. To reduce occupational injuries, the most promising measures are aimed at decreasing the influence of organizational and psychophysiological causes. Each of the potential causes of an injury can be described by the indicators that are uniquely associated with the work-related injuries and characterize the injured employee. The purpose of the study is to determine the characteristics of the employees in the most traumatic professions in the electric power industry who suffered as the result of injuries with fatality. Methodological approach is proposed related to the determination of the characteristic parameters of employees of the operating and maintenance personnel in the electric power industry. It consists of several stages. The first is the formation of the most common parameters, assignment to the group with an increased risk of industrial injuries. The second is the definition of a list of the most traumatic professions in the electric power industry. The third is the introduction of a procedure for multivariate cluster analysis of the input statistical data. The fourth is the calculation of the parameters of employees of the most traumatic professions in the electric power industry with distribution by cluster groups. Cluster groups are formed for professions: electrician, electrical fitter, foreman and wireman, which account for 80 % of the fatal injuries in the electric power industry. The relevant characteristics of the employees are determined: age, length of service, period after testing knowledge on the occupational safety, class of the working conditions. The proposed methodological approach can be used for any industry where the employee is exposed to the harmful and hazardous production factors. The methodology allows to develop and carry out measures for reducing the level of injuries.

Changes in soil chemical properties and plant species composition during primary succession on an oceanic island

AbstractQuestionsWhat is the influence of time and environmental factors such as climate and topography on soil chemical properties and composition of vascular plants during primary succession on lava flows of an oceanic island? How is compositional change characterized and which successional stages can be distinguished?LocationLa Palma, Canary Islands.MethodsWe sampled soil properties and vascular plants in 72 plots on a long‐term chronosequence of 10 lava flows ranging in age between 40 and over 20,000 years in the semi‐arid lowlands of La Palma Island. Soil properties were analyzed by general least‐squares models (GLS), while canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), cluster analysis and multiresponse permutation procedures (MRPP) were applied to investigate compositional change.ResultsSoil characteristics and plant species composition during primary succession were strongly affected by substrate age but also by climatic and topographic factors. Values of most soil properties increased with lava flow age, while pH decreased. Soil organic matter, phosphorus, exchangeable calcium and ammonium revealed a positive correlation with mean annual precipitation. Lava flow age was always the most important independent factor determining plant assembly followed by mean annual precipitation. Four successional stages and their composition of indicator species, life strategies and species status could be defined. Alien species did not alter successional trajectories.ConclusionTime, climate and topography simultaneously affect soil properties and plant composition during primary succession on lava flows. The climatic windward–leeward gradient on La Palma Island influences plant colonization and soil development in the semi‐arid coastal areas. Favorable conditions (moisture) can speed up primary succession. Compositional changes suggest convergence during primary succession. During the entire colonization process, dominant successional shrubs are endemics, highlighting the importance of evolutionary adaptation to volcanic disturbances.

Nosogeographic assessment of the adult population morbidity of the Sumy region (Ukraine)


 
 
 
 The aim of the article is the nosogeographic assessment of the adult population morbidity of the Sumy region during 2009–2019. The assessment was made by primary morbidity and prevalence of cardiovascular, respiratory diseases as well as oncological pathologies. There is a tendency towards a decrease of diseases prevalence as well as primary morbidity of above mentioned diseases among the adult population of the Sumy region in 2019 as compared to the “top” indicators in 2016 and 2017. The prevalence of diseases among the region’s population in 2019 decreased by 9.72 % and 9.40 % compared to 2016 and 2017, respectively, while the primary morbidity rate decreased by 13.9% and 10.29%, respectively. The indicators of diseases prevalence and population primary morbidity by cardiovascular diseases and neoplasm which are basic causes of mortality in Ukraine, as well as the European Union were analyzed. During the last 10 years highest indicators of prevalence of the cardiovascular diseases were registered in 2018 (57, 459.63 cases per 100 000 people) and primary cardiovascular morbidity – in 2016 (4 394.71 cases per 100 000 people). Prevalence of neoplasm among the Sumy region’s inhabitants for the last 10 years increased by 29.59 % and in 2019 was 6 126.43 cases per 100 000 people. At the same time the primary morbidity increased by 6.18 %. Respiratory diseases occupy the 1st place in the structure of primary population morbidity, the 2nd place – in structure of prevalence of the diseases); its highest indicators were observed in 2016. The index of accumulation of the diseases (the ratio between prevalence of diseases and primary morbidity) among the Sumy region population and by administrative-territorial districts was identified. To realize the nosogeographic assessment of the adult population of the Sumy region and to highlight the groups of the administrative-territorial districts of the Sumy region by the characteristics of population morbidity the cluster analysis procedure was used. The first cluster includes the Sumy and Seredyna- Buda districts. The second cluster was formed by 6 administrative-territorial districts of the region: Yampil’, Hlukhiv, Trostianets, Krasnopillia, Shostka and Velyka Pysarivka districts. The third cluster united both Romny and Buryn’ districts. The fourth cluster includes most of administrative-territorial districts of the region: Lypova Dolyna, Nedryhailiv, Lebedyn, Krolevets, Konotop, Putyvl’, Okhtyrka and Bilopillia districts. The fifth cluster is represented by the regional center – the city of Sumy.
 
 
 

The cluster analysis of patients with morbid obesity in bariatric and metabolic surgery

INTRODUCTION. Existing classifications of various forms of obesity are poorly adapted to the practical goals of bariatric surgery from the standpoint of personalizing the choice of method and volume of intervention.The OBJECTIVE was develop new approaches to stratification of patients with morbid obesity based on cluster analysis; to evaluate of the effectiveness and safety of metabolic surgical interventions, depending on the belonging of patients to a particular bariatric cluster.METHODS AND MATERIALS. The study included 745 bariatric patients. To form clinical and demographic groups, a two-stage cluster analysis procedure was used using the SPSS 16.0 package with 11 categorical and 2 quantitative variables. The efficacy and safety of metabolic surgical interventions depending on the patients' belonging to a particular bariatric cluster was evaluated.RESULTS. As a result of cluster analysis in the general population of patients with morbid obesity, 3 unique clinical and demographic groups (clusters) of patients were identified, characterized by an initial set of similar indicators that differed from that in patients of other groups (clusters): the1st cluster: «premorbid obesity»; the 2nd cluster: «morbid obesity without metabolic syndrome and complications»; the 3rd cluster: «morbid obesity with metabolic syndrome and/ or complications». The best long-term results on the BAROS scale were generally observed in patients of the 1st cluster (87.8 % of excellent and good results compared to 66.7 % in patients of the 2nd clusters and 65.5 % in patients of the 3rd cluster, p<0.001). The total risk of serious complications in patients of the 3rd cluster was 2.4 times higher than in patients of the 1st cluster (P<0.05) and 1.9 times higher than in patients of the 2nd cluster (P>0.05).CONCLUSION. The procedure of clustering patients with obesity allows individualizing the indications for conducting and choosing bariatric interventions.

АНАЛІЗ ІННОВАЦІЙНОЇ ЕКОСИСТЕМИ УКРАЇНИ: РЕГІОНАЛЬНИЙ РОЗРІЗ

Recovery of the economic system of Ukraine on the basics of innovation - the main strategic tasks of today. The strategy of innovative development of Ukraine for the period up to 2030 will be implemented through low entry. The results of the implementation of the strategy will be an increase in the share of innovative products in the GDP of the country. Activation of the processes of innovation development within the framework of the national innovation system will help reach the goal. The basis of innovative transformations is the development of an innovative ecosystem on the national and regional level. Analysis and development of recommendations for optimizing the functioning of regional innovation ecosystems are important tasks for today. This article is dedicated to the analysis of the development of the innovative ecosystem of Ukraine on the regional level. The article analyzes the understanding of the innovation ecosystem. The innovation ecosystem is a combination of the state, business and research environment, organizational, regulatory, educational, methodological and financial resources and the introduction of a knowledge transfer mechanism for transformation into innovative products. The methodological basis for the selection of clusters according to the level of development of regional innovative ecosystems is substantiated in the article. The procedure of cluster analysis of the regions of Ukraine was carried out. The analysis procedure includes the observation of 9 analytical blocks, like warehouse regional innovative ecosystems. As a result of the development of the author's methodology, 6 clusters of regional innovation ecosystems have been established from the standpoint to the level of innovation activity. Leader regions and regions with a low level of innovation ecosystem development are identified. The city of Kiev has become a leader in the development of an innovative ecosystem of the region. A region with a low level of development of a regional innovative ecosystem is Volyn.

Performance and profitability of local banks: The case of the emerging market

This paper investigates the performance and profitability of local banks of Oman for 2017–2020. Financial ratios are employed to measure the financial performance of the local banks listed in the Muscat Securities Market (Sufian, 2009). The study uses cluster analysis procedures for statistical investigation. The cluster results show that cost, profitability, and balance sheet structure (asset-liability structure) are important factors. Big banks behave differently compared to small banks, even though the size was not included as a variable in the cluster analysis. The cluster results did not indicate that COVID-19 has significantly dented the performance of banks in Oman. The financial stability and the soundness of the banking sectors are essential for both investors and depositors, and the main policy implication of this research study is that local banks in Oman are resilient, and a positive outlook is expected, given their ability to survive and manage their business during the global coronavirus outbreak

Sports Consumption Behavior: Discovering Typologies of Amateur Cyclists

Abstract Introduction. Cycling is one of the most popular and practiced sports both in Europe and globally. However, management studies aimed at defining cyclists’ consumption behavior are still limited. The most recent contributions describe cycling consumption as an activity heavily influenced by the intensity and sociality of its practice but do not highlight the importance of expenditures related to participation in amateur cycling events and cycle tourism experiences. Starting from these behavioral dimensions, the article proposes an original segmentation of the sport and leisure market, leading to the identification of different profiles of amateur cyclists. Material and methods. The research was conducted on a sample of 182 cyclists located in one single Italian region to ensure a high level of social, economic and cultural uniformity. The data was collected by conducting a questionnaire, and its resulting information relating to sport and consumer behavior was processed through a cluster analysis procedure. Results. The results reveal the existence of five different amateur cyclists’ profiles (the parsimonious, the competitive, the ostentatious, the sociable and the experiential), each distinguished by specific behavior in terms of the intensity and way of conducting the sports activity and the propensity to incur different types of expenditure. Conclusions. From a theoretical point of view, the results confirm the effectiveness of behavioral segmentation in the market of sports consumption. From an operational point of view, they provide useful marketing indications for businesses operating in the sport-system chain and destination management operators.

Peculiarities of relationships of characteristics of adaptation capabilities of the organism and indicators of motor activity of students

The health of student youth is largely determined by the level of functional capabilities of the organism, which depends on the level of motor activity, that is the total number of movements that a person performs in a given period of time. The purpose of the work is to establish the features of the relationship between the characteristics of adaptive capacity, functional status and level of development of psychophysiological functions and criteria for motor activity of students. The research was conducted on the basis of National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, where 385 students (200 young girls and 185 young boys) were supervised, who, taking into account the peculiarities of the distribution of different levels of motor activity, were divided into 3 comparison groups – with potentially low, medium and potentially high levels of motor activity. The values of daily energy consumption, number of locomotions and duration of the dynamic component in the daily budget were used as the leading criteria of hygienic assessment of students’ motor activity. Functional features and adaptive capabilities of the organism were determined using conventional methods. The analysis of the obtained results involved the use of a standard application package of multidimensional statistical analysis “Statistica 6.1 for Windows”. The results of studies conducted on the basis of correlation analysis procedures indicate the fact that the largest number of correlations between the characteristics of psychophysiological functions and the leading characteristics of health and indicators of academic performance in professionally oriented disciplines studied are recorded in girls, and boys who belonged to the group with an average level of physical activity (daily energy expenditure of 9000-11000 kJ in young girls and 11000-13500 kJ in young boys). The use of cluster analysis procedures during the prognostic assessment of indicators of health and academic performance in professionally-oriented disciplines, made it possible to identify 3 clusters of the studied characteristics of the functional state of students, which have the most pronounced effect on their values: visual-motor speed cluster (indicators of the latent period of simple and differentiated visual-motor response), visual-sensory cluster (indicators of critical fusion of light flickers and efficiency of work performed) and integrative-coordination cluster (a number of indicators that reflect the properties of major nervous processes, characteristics coordination of movements, indicators of attention functions, etc.). Using factor analysis procedures, it determined that both young girls and young boys have the most positive impact on academic performance in vocational disciplines such factors as “functional state of the visual sensory system”, “functional state of coordination” and “functional state of higher nervous activity”.